Bristol City 0 Sheffield United 3: Blades pounce on red card to take a huge advantage into Championship play-off semi-final second leg

The game turned on Rob Dickie's first-half red card rather than Callum O'Hare's 79th-minute goal. Strange things can happen in two-legged play-offs – just ask the neighbours – but once the Blades got three goals clear, it looked a lot like they who will be heading to Wembley on May 24.

The team who finished 22 points higher should always have won this first leg, even away from home, but play-off football regularly laughs in the face of logic.

Yet once Dickie handed the visitors a one-man advantage too, there was no stopping them. By claiming a 3-0 lead from the first leg all they really need to do now is keep their heads in Monday's return game at Bramall Lane, where Dickie will be suspended.

Kieffer Moore was through on goal, hardly pulling away, when Dickie bundled him over in the area and was sent off.

Harrison Burrows calmly put the penalty into the bottom corner, sending Max O'Leary the wrong way.

Until then it had been a nip-and-tuck game.

Sheffield United looked dangerous when they got the ball forward quickly to Rhian Brewster, wide on the right, or to Tyrese Campbell running in behind from a 4-4-2 shape.

Campbell had a goal contentiously chalked off for offside when Jack Robinson's long throw was headed on by Moore, then into the net by Campbell but Sydie Peck was ruled to be offside and impeding Jason Knight. That was after 11 minutes.

Bristol City, though, had a shot against the crossbar, thumped by Joe Williams in the 15th minute, before the midfielder went off injured.

The Blades were quickly up and running in a noisy Ashton Gate atmosphere, winning a couple of corners in the first four minutes and thought they had got their reward until a very late offside flag frustrated them.

Although the Robins had more of the ball, as they usually do, at 11 v 11, the Blades were the better side after Anis Mehmeti beat Brewster and rolled the ball back for Williams to hit the frame of the goal.

A Gustavo Hamer shot hit Moore and went wide, and Max O'Leary made a good save when Campbell was set free. Peck's effort from the corner had the goalkeeper scrambling to stop the ball looping under his crossbar, but he did.

Hamer spread the ball out to Brewster in the 34th minute but a stretching Moore could only redirect it fairly weakly at the goalkeeper.

But for the second time this season Dickie was sent off, this time for bear-hugging Moore and with no attempt to play the ball, there was no chance of escaping with a booking on "double jeopardy" grounds.

Not surprisingly, Sheffield United took hold of the second half but too many of their chances fell to Peck, who is yet to find the net at senior effort.

He missed the target with three efforts, one so dreadful it became a pass to Brewster, whose ball in was none too clever either.

Hamer really got hold of a shot when Hamza Choudhury nodded the ball to him, but lacked direction.

Brewster saw the goalkeeper off his line in the 63rd minute but his attempt to chip him from the touchline was no threat.

Chris Wilder made a triple substitution to change the shape of the team from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 and two of those he brought on, Andre Brooks and O'Hare, found the net in front of the delirious away fans.

O'Hare's stepover let Burrows' ball find its way through to Brooks, who calmly found the net.

O'Hare then bundled another in after an 79th-minute corner was headed down to him by Vinicius Souza.

Once again the away fans were held back from invading the pitch but a red flare made it on.

Those supporters will be making plans for Wembley already.

Bristol City: O'Leary; Tanner, Dickie, Vyner; Hirakawa (Roberts HT) , Williams (Earthy 40), Knight, McCrorie; Bird (McGuane 73), Mehmeti (Bell 84); Wells (Armstrong HT).

Unused substitutes: Pring, Twine, Bajic, Cornick.

Sheffield United: Cooper; Choudhury, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson (Holding 81), Burrows (Brooks 67); Brewster, Souza, Peck (T Davies 67), Hamer (McCallum 85); Moore, Campbell (O'Hare 67).

Unused substitutes: Gilchrist, Shackelton, A Davies, Cannon.

Referee: O Langford (West Midlands).